


Nightmares

by Daydreamisallihave



Category: The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, also ladies being friends, kastle - Freeform, mostl just snuggles, short fluffly kastle drabble with domestic kastle, you heard about porn without plot be read for fluff without plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-02-28 22:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13281468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamisallihave/pseuds/Daydreamisallihave
Summary: Both Frank and Karen are used to the nightmares, but know they have each other when they wake up from them.





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> This two have stolen my heart and I just need them to snuggle, comfort each other and be sweetly domestic. I hope some of you may want to see something like this too.  
> Also, I'm into Karen being big spoon while Fank is little spoon <3
> 
> Apologies for my English, it's not my first language but I hope there aren't too many mistakes.  
> Apologies also if Frank and Karen seem ooc to you, I tried my best.
> 
> Thank you for reading, if some of you liked it, please let me know. I want to talk about kastle with people!  
> And if you didn't like it, please be kind.

Karen woke up to Frank stirring against her, whimpering quietly. At first, his nightmares had startled her, waking up almost as scared as him, thinking something was wrong, but now she was used to it.

Frank had fallen asleep half lying over her, head pillowed on her chest and she still had her arms loosely wrapped around him. Karen shook him gently.

“Frank wake up, it’s a nightmare.” She said softly. “You are okay.”

Frank pulled away from her as he opened his eyes, full of confusion and hurt. He looked around for a moment before fully register what was happening. He glanced at the picture of Maria and the kids at the bedside table then looked back at Karen again, beginning to relax.

“Sorry...” He mumbled.

“It’s okay.” Karen reached out her arms towards him. Frank snuggled to her again, burying his face in her chest as he tried to even his breath.

Karen let out a content sigh. She pressed a kiss to his head and ran her fingers through his hair, calming him, waiting for him to fully relax before she spoke again.

“Was it the carousel again?”She knew it was his most recurring nightmare.  If he didn’t want to talk it was okay, Karen wasn’t going to press him, but sometimes it helped.

Frank nodded without looking up.

“A bit different this time though. It was like the last time I was there, those kids bleeding and tied up, Billy fighting me, shooting Madani.” Billy Russo seemed to be the new star of Frank’s nightmares more often than not since that day. Karen knew how deep his betrayal had stung him. “But then they were my kids who were tied up bleeding out, it was Maria who he shot.”

Karen said nothing, just held him close. By now she knew how his nightmares played out. They had similar patterns but they changed each time. Most times it was the carousel. Most times it was his wife and kids who died. Sometimes the Lieberman family were the ones executed.  Sometimes it was her.

Karen preferred the last because then she was able to hold him, to kiss him and show him that she was there alive with him, that they were okay. But how could she comfort him when it was his family who he watched die, just to wake up and realize they were indeed dead. It broke her heart.

“I regret not killing Russo.” Frank pulled away from Karen and she let out a disappointed sound when he changed her chest for a pillow, but he placed an arm over her, pulling her close, and Karen was happy enough to snuggle against him.

“Don’t regret it. It’s worse for him this way.” If she was honest, Karen wanted to strangle Billy Russo herself for what he had done to Frank, but she was not about to tell him that. “Doctors said it doesn’t seem like he’s going to wake up anytime soon, his brain is half dead. And if he does wake up, then he’s done, his pretty face has fallen and he’ll be in jail forever.”

“He’s a loose end, I don’t like loose ends.” Frank pressed.

“Stop worrying about it.” Karen smoothed her fingers over his frown and kissed his lips. It wasn’t the first time they had this conversation. It usually came up after the nightmares starring Billy Russo, until Frank let Karen convince him that Billy wasn’t a threat anymore and that they were safe. At least until a new nightmare hit him.

“Dinah wants him to wake up, though,” Karen informed, brushing her fingers over his cheekbone. “Said she wants him to see her standing there, to see him realize he has lost everything, to watch as he sees his face in a mirror.”

Dinah had her own personal reasons to hate Billy Russo, Karen knew.

“Attagirl.” Frank understood it. He had wanted Billy to suffer for what he had done too, death was too quick, too good for him.

“We are going to meet today, but not for drinks, for serious talk.” It wasn’t an interview or anything like that, but it was work oriented. Dinah was about to give Karen free light and Intel to finally write about what had gone on in Homeland Security.

“Hope Madani’s not luring you into writing some expose or shit like that that will get your life threatened again.” Frank quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Nobody lures me into anything. I write what I want and I want the truth.” Karen replied. Frank knew it already and he accepted it not only as part of her job but as part of herself. That didn’t mean he didn’t worry.

“Yes, you do.” Frank let out a dramatically defeated sigh, all for show, and Karen had to kiss him then, giggling.

“You are like her on that,” Frank said as he ran his hand through Karen’s hair, sleepily smiling at her. “You got something in your head and you keep going and going until you get it, no matter what, non-stop.”

“We are stubborn ladies, I give you that.”  Karen smiled, leaning into his touch.

Somehow Dinah and Karen had ended up going out together at least once a week during the last few months, for drinks or just for talks. Turned out, Dinah didn’t have many friends in the city, just like Karen. Sometimes Sarah joined them too. Most of her friends had turned their back to her after what went on with David. Both Dinah and Karen agreed that they were assholes anyway and Sarah deserved better friends.

Both women were amazing persons and Karen enjoyed their company immensely. The circumstances that had brought them together were uncommon and more than tragic, to say so, but Karen was glad they had become friends. And she hadn’t had ‘girls’ nights out’ in so, so long.

A couple of times, Frank and she had gone out for proper dinners with Sarah and David, but Karen still preferred to just go to their house, cooking together. Sarah and Frank would drink glass of rosé after glass, talking about how it was living with David, embarrassing him on purpose. It was perfect.

Some evenings, when the three women went out together and Frank had nothing to do, he went to the Lieberman’s house to spend the evening with David, Leo, and Zack. The first time Karen had seen the four of them curled up on the sofa watching movies after Sarah and she came back home, she had felt like her heart was going to burst.

In all of those occasions, Frank seemed so relaxed and so happy, it was all she had always wanted for him, all he deserved.

Karen didn’t realize she had gotten lost in thought and she let out a startled, embarrassing yelp when Frank shifted them so she was straddling him. He huffed a laugh.

“Don’t you laugh at me.” Karen chastised, laughing herself.

“Where were you?” Frank asked, running his hands up her sides.

“I was here.” Karen leaned down for a kiss. “Just thinking how I got lucky enough to hang out with badass women on weekly bases and to sleep with you every night.” It was so corny she blushed, but it was the truth.

Frank seemed surprised for a second but then he was smiling fondly at her, fingers brushing her cheek.

“It was me who got lucky.” He murmured.

Those loving puppy eyes were going to be her death someday.

“I’m sorry I keep waking you up...” Frank said, pitter-patter of fingers over Karen’s hip.

“Don’t be. It’s okay.” Karen intertwined her fingers with his, stopping the nervous tap. “Everybody has nightmares.”

Billy Russo was also in Dinah’s nightmares, she had told Karen, but it wasn’t Karen’s place to say that to Frank.

“You too?” Frank seemed genuinely curious. “I never hear you, what are your nightmares about?”

“Lot of things...” Karen wasn’t lying. However, there was a nightmare that kept coming back to her... She could tell him that she had nightmares of him dying, it wouldn’t be a lie. Sometimes he dreamed he took yet another bullet for her and he didn’t get up that time.

But she always woke up to find him well and alive in her arms. That was not the recurrent nightmare that hunted her.

“There’s one...” She decided to tell him. They were always honest with each other. “Do you...do you remember the man I told you I shot? Fisk’s friend...” Karen said quietly.

Only Frank knew that, she hadn’t told anyone else. She had known Frank won’t judge, he’d understand her.

He nodded, squeezing her hands reassuringly.

“Fisk’s comes sometimes to my nightmares...he strangles me...” And it was always so, so, vivid.

Frank sat up, and Karen ended up sitting on his lap, legs around his hips and hands on his shoulders for leverage. “Karen, I would never let him touch you.” He assured her, holding her tight.

“I know.” Karen nodded. “But it’s a nightmare...so sometimes you are already lying dead next to me when he does it...” That was the worst. Her two worse nightmares combined in one. Mercifully, it didn’t come often. Not since he slept next to her.

“I should have killed him back in jail.” Frank snarled. “I’ll kill him if he comes near you, you know I will, he’s not going to hurt you.”

He had that guild, scared look in his eyes again, the same than when he woke up from a nightmare of his own. Karen hated it.

“I know. Frank, it’s okay. They are just nightmares.” She punctuated each sentence with kisses over his face. That seemed to do the trick.

“Okay, okay.” Frank swallowed hard. “But wake me up next time you have one.” He buried his face on the crook of her neck and Karen almost purred.

“Promised...”

Her alarm went off and Karen considered for a moment the idea of throwing it out the window.

“Gotta get ready for work.” She groaned. She loved her job, but she didn’t want to move from her comfy warm bed and her more comfy, warmer Frank.

He just hummed, placing kisses along her neck.

“That’s unfair.” She complained, tilting back her neck for him. It took her all her willpower to stop him, pushing him back onto the mattress...and then she had to kiss away his smug smile.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, dressed and ready, the smell of coffee filled the living room and Frank was in the kitchen finishing breakfast. She sat down on the table and he pushed a coffee mug and a plate towards her. Scrambled eggs today. She had never had better breakfast than with Frank there.

“Thank you.” She pecked at his cheek before attacking her food.

 “It’s going to be a long day today. I’m meeting Dinah for lunch, and I have to work until late in the evening today.” Karen explained while she picked up her stuff to go. “Are you going to be waiting for me at home with dinner ready?” She joked.

“If you want.” Frank shrugged, smiling. It wouldn’t be the first time, nor the last. “But actually, I’m going to Curtis group and after the meeting David is coming to share a couple of beers with Curt and I. So...take out and I pick you up at The Bulleting?”

“Sounds great.” Karen kissed him goodbye. “Have fun.”

“Take care.”

Karen smiled all her way to work. It was true what she had said to Frank, she didn’t know how she had got this lucky. But intended to enjoy every moment of it.


End file.
